Adding a pet deposit

[Jaine0]

I have a guest who wants to bring a "well behaved" dog.  I like dogs, so I'm amenable, but I'd like to add an extra amount to the security deposit to cover that eventuality--just for this guest.  How do I do that?

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

All dogs are well behaved until they damage something. 

You won't be able to change the security deposit if the booking as been accepted already.

[Robert119]

I do not see why it cannot be collected on the side

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

Because you are  taking cash outside of the AirBnB policy and if something goes wrong you will not be covered by their Host Protection Scheme. Simple...

[Stacey1]

I have guests coming next week and she mentioned post booking she had a "well behaved" dog. How do I collect a pet security deposit in case of any damages? It would have to be before they checked in, correct? Is this the "special offer"? How do I refund? Hoping the community can help.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

Yes, you can use the Special Offer function and agree the additional cost with the guest. The Special Offer should include the total accommodation cost, any additional extras agreed, any cleaning fees (but not the AirBnB service charge which will be added automatically). Your guest will need to click on the offer to accept it - otherwise you will just get the original amount.

[Dianna12]

My space is pet friendly, but it takes extra cleaning after a pet has stayed.  How do I add a non refundable pet deposit?

[Louise0]

Well if it's non-refundable it's not a 'deposit', it's a fee.   Just do a Special Offer and increase your price by the amount you want to charge for the additional cleaning.

[Ali40]

I charge a pet fee through the resolution center after booking but prior to check in. I charge a flat $25

[Kate219]

Can you refund that money or are you charging a fee that is not ever going back?

[Linda_Paul1]

How do you contact the Resolution Center?

[Audrey169]

I am new to Air B&B and accepted a booking.  Later she told me she was bringing a pet and agreed to paying a pet fee.  It shows she "sent" the money but it shows completely separate from the initial payment and unlike the initial payment, it does not say when this amount will be paid out.  Has anyone had an addional payment sent?  Will it get paid out to me with the original amount?  Thanks and Happy New Year!

[Karen222]

You need to have an accepted reservation first and then on the bottom of that page, there is a tab that says something like "send money or request Money" and that's where you can ask for the deposit.  This way, you're still within the Airbnb system and if any issues come up, you can use the resolution centre.    I just got off the phone with Airbnb Support and that's what I was told.  If there is no damage caused and you want to refund the deposit, you go to the same page (once the reservation is over) and click on that same page to return the money to the guest.  I hope this helps. 

[Marilyn157]

Considering approving a guest with pet inquiry.  Appreciate this thread. Any other great tips to add would be  much appreciated. 

[Scott-and-Mary-Ellen0]

@Marilyn157  We don't take pets as a rule but have made a couple of exceptions, for which we charged them an extra $10 a night. One time we had a couple reserve months ahead to go to a big music festival in the area, but two weeks before the weekend she wanted to bring her brand-new "emotional support dog." We asked what are you going to do with the dog during the all-day festival, because it wouldn't be allowed on the property. Our place is a condo and we had to decline them because we couldn't risk having a new dog barking while left alone all day, not to mention not being able to go out. They made other arrangements. (We do have a flexible cancellation policy.)

I think I would charge more per day for a pet fee if I was reluctant to make an exception, unless their reviews mentioning a dog were all excellent. I still don't want to allow pets regularly because of the condo issue--you can't take a dog to a pool or out to eat with you, and we need to be considerate of our neighbors in the building.   M.E.